Beginner Japanese · Lesson 8
Tell the Time in Japanese
Read and say a small set of useful Japanese clock times using complete forms.
Japanese first
Start with a complete clock time
Read the Japanese once before taking it apart. The sentence gives “now,” an a.m. label, and the hour in one useful model.
Opening time model
Reading: いま、ごぜんごじです。
Add now, a.m., and p.m.
These words sit around the clock expression. Keep their job narrow in this lesson.
New word
今
now
Use this lightly for “now” in the opening clock sentence.
New word
午前
a.m.; before noon
Put this before a clock time as an a.m. label.
New word
午後
p.m.; afternoon
Put this before a clock time as a p.m. label.
Notice the order
Put the clock label before the hour
In these clock expressions, 午前 or 午後comes first. They work conveniently like a.m. and p.m. here, although their wider uses do not always match English labels exactly.
- a.m. clock time
- 午前五時
- p.m. clock time
- 午後三時
P.m. before the hour
Reading: ごごさんじです。
Meet the hour counter and the time question
The counter marks a clock hour. The question word is one complete expression with its own reading.
New word
～時
o'clock; hour counter
Read each displayed hour as one complete clock form.
New word
何時
what time
This whole question expression is read なんじ, “what time?”
The twelve-hour cycle
Read each hour as one clock form
The numbers from Lesson 7 help, but clock readings have forms worth learning intact. Pay particular attention to 四時（よじ）,七時（しちじ）, and 九時（くじ）.
1:00
一時
Reading: いちじ
2:00
二時
Reading: にじ
3:00
三時
Reading: さんじ
4:00
四時
Reading: よじ
Watch this reading
5:00
五時
Reading: ごじ
6:00
六時
Reading: ろくじ
7:00
七時
Reading: しちじ
Watch this reading
8:00
八時
Reading: はちじ
9:00
九時
Reading: くじ
Watch this reading
10:00
十時
Reading: じゅうじ
11:00
十一時
Reading: じゅういちじ
12:00
十二時
Reading: じゅうにじ
At 12 o’clock, use the complete form 十二時（じゅうにじ）.
One useful question
Ask 何時ですか
何時ですか。
Reading: なんじですか。
何 changes reading in some whole expressions. Here,何時 is なんじ, “what time?” The question ending か is familiar review, so there is no new question rule to learn.
Ask the current time
Reading: いま、なんじですか。
Check your recall
Recall the hour and the question
Try each prompt before opening the answer.
四時Read this clock form.
Show the reading
四時／よじFour o’clock.
九時Read this clock form.
Show the reading
九時／くじNine o’clock.
Rebuild the short question “What time is it?”
Show the question
何時ですか。／なんじですか。Keep the whole question word together.
午後三時Is this an a.m. or p.m. clock time?
Show the answer
午後三時／ごごさんじIt is a p.m. clock time: 3 p.m.
Add half past, then selected minutes
Half past gives you a useful time before you meet the small selected minute set.
New word
半
half; half past
After an hour, this gives the useful “half past” form.
New word
～分
minutes counter
The reading uses ふん or ぷん; learn the selected forms shown.
A useful shortcut
Put 半 after the hour
～時半 means half past that hour. This lets you express a common 30-minute time without learning another minute-counter form first.
Half past seven
Reading: しちじはんです。
Six useful examples
Meet selected minute forms
Minute readings change in a few places. Learn the forms you meet as whole expressions instead of guessing from the number alone. This selected set contains bothふん and ぷん sounds.
- 一分
- Reading: いっぷん
- 二分
- Reading: にふん
- 三分
- Reading: さんぷん
- 五分
- Reading: ごふん
- 六分
- Reading: ろっぷん
- 十分
- Reading: じゅっぷん
Hour plus ten minutes
Reading: いま、くじじゅっぷんです。
Clock to Japanese
Read complete times on a clock
Each clock repeats a complete time expression. The numeric time, Japanese, Kana reading, English meaning, and hand positions all describe the same time.
Hour only
3:00 p.m.
午後三時です。
Reading: ごごさんじです。
It is 3 p.m.
Half past
7:30
七時半です。
Reading: しちじはんです。
It is half past seven.
Ten minutes past
9:10
今、九時十分です。
Reading: いま、くじじゅっぷんです。
It is 9:10 now.
Check your recall
Recall half past and selected minutes
Try each prompt before opening the answer.
七時半です。Read this complete time and give its meaning.
Show the reading and meaning
七時半です。／しちじはんです。It is half past seven.
十分Retrieve the minute reading used in this lesson.
Show the reading
十分／じゅっぷんTen minutes.
The clock shows 9:10. Rebuild the complete sentence with “now.”
Show the sentence
今、九時十分です。／いま、くじじゅっぷんです。It is 9:10 now.
The clock shows 3:00 p.m. Rebuild the Japanese.
Show the sentence
午後三時です。／ごごさんじです。It is 3 p.m.
Optional Kanji practice
Keep time and date Kanji moving
This lesson works through its Kana reading lines. If you want a separate recognition pass, use the existing Time and Date Kanji lesson in parallel. It is useful practice, not a prerequisite and not a calendar lesson inside this page.
Keep the whole clock form together
- Read hours as complete forms, especially よじ, しちじ, and くじ.
- 何時 is read なんじ in 何時ですか。
- Put 午前 or 午後 before a clock time.
- Put 半 after the hour for half past.
- Minute forms here use both ふん and ぷん; keep each displayed form intact.